Work of Art
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Amber has always been a great artist, but lately her paintings aren't reflecting it. When she asks Desmond for his help, he shows her a new perspective that may very well enhance her art.


Work of Art

Summary: Amber has always been a great artist, but lately her paintings aren't reflecting it. When she asks Desmond for his help, he shows her a new perspective that may very well enhance her art.

Disclaimer: I do not own this show!

A/N: I just can't help it. :p I love Desmond/Amber friendship ideas. Besides, someone in one of my reviews (I believe it was frazerd96) asked if Desmond could help Amber for a change, instead of the other way around. I thought, 'Hey, that's not a bad idea!' So here we are… Enjoy! (By the way, there is a slight reference to my story "Starry Eyes" in here. :D If you're familiar with it, you'll see what I'm talking about. If not…well, the context of the statement should clarify!)

"Hmm," Amber muttered to herself while she sat outside on the steps of the castle. She held in her hands her latest painting of a tree with numerous fruits dangling from it. It was certainly adventurous and nonsensical even, but it was not up to par in her eyes. She sighed, disheartened at the realization, and tossed the painting down the steps, frowning when the wooden frame made a cracking sound. "Oh, well…" She closed her eyes and put her head into her hands, trying to figure out what was wrong with her art lately.

Meanwhile, James walked by with Zandar and Desmond in tow. He stopped laughing at a joke they'd shared and tilted his head. "Amber?" he wondered quietly, blinking. "Huh, she seems kind of down."

"Did you ruin another one of her dresses?" Zandar accused playfully, poking his arm pointedly.

"Not this week," the blonde defended with a grin. "Des, go see what's wrong with her."

"Why me?" the other boy asked shyly. "She's your sister."

"Yeah, exactly. I won't get much out of her, but if her _friend_ , on the other hand, were to ask…that might be different!"

Desmond raised an eyebrow at the statement. "And Zandar can't check on her because…?"

Zandar grinned and waved his hand. "Amber and I aren't that close; however, I hear that you two are."

Desmond blushed a little and put his hands behind his back. "It's not like that, you guys… We're just really good friends."

"Yep," James agreed with a mischievous look as he pushed his friend toward his twin. "And so it's your job to check up on your best friend!" He laughed softly as Desmond stumbled momentarily, tossing him a pointed look, before moving to check on the other blonde. "Come on, Zandar. If Amber _does_ actually talk to Desmond, we're not going to see him again for the rest of the day anyway."

"Seriously?" Zandar sighed. "Desmond and his crush… I wish he'd just _say_ something to her already."

"Is that so, _Zandy_?" James teased with a grin, reminding his friend of the whole Hildegard-under-a-love-spell incident a few months ago. He yelped and laughed as the other boy started chasing him. "Calm down, Zandar! It's just a joke!"

"A-Amber?" Desmond asked carefully, worried that something was wrong with his friend. He was also hesitant to interrupt her state of being, considering he'd just passed the shattered portrait on the way up the steps.

"Desmond?" She looked up, her eyes a little bleary from being shielded from the light for a little while. She rubbed at her eyes to clear up her vision and sighed as he quietly sat next to her. "Aren't you hanging out with James and Zandar?"

"I was," he corrected with a frown, "but I'm a little more worried about you right now."

She smiled at his kind nature and shook her head. "You don't need to worry about me, Desmond. I'm fine."

"Amber, one of your paintings has suffered a terrible trauma—smashed to pieces, it looks like—and you're telling me you're _fine_?"

The princess's smile changed to a small frown. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Amber…" He sighed, watching as she retreated back into her shell and thrust her head into her hands again. "What's the matter?"

After a few moments of gentle prodding, Amber finally relented and turned to her friend. "Fine, I'll tell you." She folded her arms and glared down at her ruined painting. "My paintings aren't good anymore."

Desmond's eyes widened in shock. "Are you kidding? You're the best artist I know!" He gestured down toward the mess on the steps. "That painting was beautiful, Amber. Why did you destroy it?"

"Because it wasn't good _enough_!" She sighed. "I entered that painting into a contest earlier today, at the encouragement of Hildegard and Clio. The winner would receive an official 'Best of Artists in Enchancia' seal on his or her painting." She frowned. "I came in third… I was beaten by a six-year-old prodigy, and she rubbed it in my face. Rotten little brat." She growled at the memory.

The boy offered her a sympathetic look. That explained her mood. "Amber, just because the judges overlooked perfection doesn't mean you should feel so down." He smiled as she blushed at his choice of words. "You're a great artist, because you paint from the heart. Whatever that little kid created, she probably only won because she _was_ considered a prodigy. Don't let it get to you."

"So you think I'm still a good artist?" she asked softly with a hopeful glance toward him.

He smiled and pulled her to her feet. "Only one way to find out. Come on."

Amber stood in front of a blank canvas: one of the scariest and sometimes most thrilling sights to any artist. While her mind often contained many ideas for potential paintings, right now nothing was coming to her. Sighing, she turned to Desmond. "I can't do it."

"Of course you can," he argued lightly, smiling gently at her. "You're just not giving yourself a chance."

"No, Desmond, I mean…I can't think of anything to paint. If I had some inspiration, then maybe things would be different."

The boy held one hand to his chin and he pondered. "Well… True artists paint from their hearts, right? The whole purpose of painting is to get out feelings, emotions, memories…"

"Memories," Amber interrupted, smiling brightly. "Desmond, that's it!" She hugged him happily and quickly arranged her paints onto her palette. "You really are a genius."

It was the fair-haired boy's turn to blush this time, but he just smiled sheepishly as he watched her creation come to life. After about an hour, Desmond congratulated his friend on a beautiful portrait, one that truly meant something to her—one that no one could deny held a deeper meaning and a heartfelt significance.

That night, Amber slept peacefully as her smashed portrait rested on her vanity (she made a promise to Desmond that she would fix it), and her new portrait hung directly next to her bed.

As always, kind and knowing amber eyes watched over the girl, even as a painted memory entitled "Long Live the Queen."

The end

A/N: So hopefully my metaphorical and artistic wording at the end made sense. If not, here it is: Amber's new painting is of her mother. :p See what happens when Desmond gives her ideas? Haha. Anyway, there will be one final story of 2015 coming to you in a few days. It _is_ a Cedric and Sofia friendship story (surprising, right? Lol), and while I won't give away details, I will give you the title: "Thank You for Being a Friend." ;) Hopefully my fellow Golden Girls fans will get that reference. Hehe. Till next time! ~AquaTurquoise


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